[mou] Le Conte's Sparrow and Hawks - Olmsted Co

[Bob Ekblad]

I went out looking for sparrows this morning since it was nice a calm.  
I walked in on the north side of the East Landfill Reservoir (west of 
Rochester) and found a few but didn't find the Le Conte's or Nelson's 
Sharp-tailed Sparrows I was looking for (both have been seen some years 
in that area in the past).  As I was leaving I noticed a shorebird on 
the mudflat and stopped to look and, while sitting there I heard a chip 
in the ditch right near the car.  I imitated the chip and up popped a Le 
Conte's Sparrow.  The Sharp-tailed is still on my wish list.

A few minutes later I spotted a fairly early immature dark phase 
Rough-legged Hawk flying circles over the South Landfill Reservoir as it 
gradually moved southward.

Yesterday I had a Kreider's Red-tailed Hawk fly up from the ditch just a 
short distance north of the east reservoir.  It had such a white head 
and tail I first thought of Ferruginous.  After it was up and flying 
around a bit I was able to pick out a tinge of rufous on the tail.  It 
also had the bar on the leading edge of the underwing that helped 
confirm it was a red-tailed.

-- 
Bob Ekblad
Olmsted County in SE Minnesota
http://home.rconnect.com/~ekblad/